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Man, Inception is an AMAZING film.

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I have a hard enough time watching a movie more than twice. If I were watching it (even just bits of it) every time I were on a work break then I think I would start actively despising it. Too much of a good thing and all that jazz.
 
In what way is the movie "pretending" to be deep?

I'm surprised WB hasn't expanded this property. There are so many stories you can tell with the concept.

The ending and the way the film was told made the film more confusing then it needed to be. At first I thought there was a point to all the exposition and confusion but it never really reached a climax that revealed anything profound.
 
It's a pretty nifty heist movie that has been overblown by people who are proud that they understood the needlessly convoluted plot. They're under the assumption that a complex narrative is the same as an intelligent one.

I like the movie. It's a decent watch that gets bogged down by becoming so concerned with explaining the possibilities of the universe created, that the plot is left as an afterthought.

If the movie had chosen to do away with the whole heist bullshit and just followed Dom and his wife, it would have been a much more focused and better film.
 
This movie is a prime example of too much telling, not enough showing. The Matrix handled the exposition of its "rules" so much better. The exposition in Inception is so infuriating I can't watch it anymore. Whenever you have a character whose sole purpose is to ask questions for the audience, you know your script fucking sucks. The only redeeming quality is Hans Zimmer's score, which I think is the best work he's ever done.
 
The only movie I've ever gone to see in the theaters more than once (3 times actually).

Will go down as one of the best films of the decade.
 
I want a sequel just so we can have the crazy dream action without the need to explain everything again.

I want a sequel that secretly performs inception on us while we're watching it. As we walk out, we'll all want to buy it on blu ray for some reason.

The only movie I've ever gone to see in the theaters more than once (3 times actually).

Will go down as one of the best films of the decade.

I did this with The Matrix, except it was more like seven times. Mainly because I kept seeing it with friends, but also because that movie fucking ruled.
 

Cool link, it recommended Chinner for my pleasure:

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This movie is a prime example of too much telling, not enough showing. The Matrix handled the exposition of its "rules" so much better. The exposition in Inception is so infuriating I can't watch it anymore. Whenever you have a character whose sole purpose is to ask questions for the audience, you know your script fucking sucks. The only redeeming thing is Hans Zimmer's score, which I think is the best work he's ever done.

Bingo.
 
The OST is the best thing about it which is incredible.

The hallway scene blew my mind the first time I saw it in IMAX, but it doesn't fare as well on re-watches imo. Now I always think it should've gone on longer. There were only a few punches, like 10 seconds worth in the hallway and then it goes into the bedroom where it becomes meh. They should've done an entire 2-3 minute fight like that with tons of choreography instead of a 30 sec piece.

The concept of the film is entertaining/interesting but is unfortunately bogged down by ridiculous amounts of explanation babble and dull action scenes. The characters aren't really characters either they're just there doing things. I'm still completely perplexed as to why the young girl character decides to do something highly illegal and potentially life threatening for some guy she just met 10 minutes ago.

Either the movie should've been 4 hours long so they could get in more character development or take out the fluff and focus on 1-2 characters only instead of having this ensemble heist deal going on.
 
Do you guys consider Inception a cyberpunk film? A lot of people say no but I think it does because the definition of cyberpunk is "high tech, low life" and in the movie we see people in the slums using the dream entering technology as like a drug to escape reality and by criminals. Also, a big theme in cyberpunk is corporations controlling everything and in the film the future is portrayed as being controlled by a few huge corporations that engage in espionage with one another.
 
The OST is the best thing about it which is incredible.

The hallway scene blew my mind the first time I saw it in IMAX, but it doesn't fare as well on re-watches imo. Now I always think it should've gone on longer. There were only a few punches, like 10 seconds worth in the hallway and then it goes into the bedroom where it becomes meh. They should've done an entire 2-3 minute fight like that with tons of choreography instead of a 30 sec piece.

The concept of the film is entertaining/interesting but is unfortunately bogged down by ridiculous amounts of explanation babble and dull action scenes. The characters aren't really characters either they're just there doing things. I'm still completely perplexed as to why the young girl character decides to do something highly illegal and potentially life threatening for some guy she just met 10 minutes ago.

Either the movie should've been 4 hours long so they could get in more character development or take out the fluff and focus on 1-2 characters only instead of having this ensemble heist deal going on.

The story is about Dicaprio's catharsis (which is satisfying). Why does every supporting player have to be so fully fleshed out?

Wow Jimothy! you just watched 42 mins in 5 secs, you're amazing.
 
I get this film was a blockbuster too, but another big/recent blockbuster, Avatar is a deeper film for me because it doesn't try to be profound on the surface. It's more about a love story/identity and the themes and concepts behind it (wars in middle east, destruction of environment) are more in the background. Despite Avatar's really cliche and obvious plot it deals with something of more substance in todays climate, then dreams within dreams (imo).
 
Do you guys consider Inception a cyberpunk film? A lot of people say no but I think it does because the definition of cyberpunk is "high tech, low life" and in the movie we see people in the slums using the dream entering technology as like a drug to escape reality and by criminals. Also, a big theme in cyberpunk is corporations controlling everything and in the film the future is portrayed as being controlled by a few huge corporations that engage in espionage with one another.

Yeah, I think calling it cyberpunk would be fair. Maybe contemporary cyberpunk since it doesn't have the visual flavor the genre typically has.

I'm secretly hoping/predicting that traditional cyberpunk is going to make a comeback later in the decade. Please please please.
 
Rather than debate about whether the top falls, consider whether it matters at that moment. Leo didn't care, as he left it spinning.
 
I get this film was a blockbuster too, but another big/recent blockbuster, Avatar is a deeper film for me because it doesn't try to be profound on the surface. It's more about a love story/identity and the themes and concepts behind it (wars in middle east, destruction of environment) are more in the background. Despite Avatar's really cliche and obvious plot it deals with something of more substance in todays climate, then dreams within dreams (imo).

The only blockbuster thing about the movie is the budget. The movie is not a conventional blockbuster in any sense of the word.
 
I like the movie. It's a decent watch that gets bogged down by becoming so concerned with explaining the possibilities of the universe created, that the plot is left as an afterthought.
Yah, this is the real problem.

Also, I wish the movie had done more with the dreaming aspect. Like, the great thing about dreams is that they can be anything. That's the time for imagination, when you can dream up Salvador Dali-esque worlds and shit, but aside from that scene where they walk up a wall, there's nothing dreamlike about Inception. That's a missed opportunity on Nolan's part.
 
I get this film was a blockbuster too, but another big/recent blockbuster, Avatar is a deeper film for me because it doesn't try to be profound on the surface. It's more about a love story/identity and the themes and concepts behind it (wars in middle east, destruction of environment) are more in the background. Despite Avatar's really cliche and obvious plot it deals with something of more substance in todays climate, then dreams within dreams (imo).

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Yeah, I think calling it cyberpunk would be fair. Maybe contemporary cyberpunk since it doesn't have the visual flavor the genre typically has.

I'm secretly hoping/predicting that traditional cyberpunk is going to make a comeback later in the decade. Please please please.

It might. It took forever for sci-fi to come back so there is hope yet. I believe Sam Rockwell has a cyberpunk film planned (entitled Mute City) and it takes place in the same universe as MOON.
 
The OST is the best thing about it which is incredible.

The hallway scene blew my mind the first time I saw it in IMAX, but it doesn't fare as well on re-watches imo. Now I always think it should've gone on longer. There were only a few punches, like 10 seconds worth in the hallway and then it goes into the bedroom where it becomes meh. They should've done an entire 2-3 minute fight like that with tons of choreography instead of a 30 sec piece.

The concept of the film is entertaining/interesting but is unfortunately bogged down by ridiculous amounts of explanation babble and dull action scenes. The characters aren't really characters either they're just there doing things. I'm still completely perplexed as to why the young girl character decides to do something highly illegal and potentially life threatening for some guy she just met 10 minutes ago.

Either the movie should've been 4 hours long so they could get in more character development or take out the fluff and focus on 1-2 characters only instead of having this ensemble heist deal going on.
Because entering the dreamworld was unlike anything she had ever done before. As a prospective architect, it was basically a dream come true for her. The movie pretty much shoves it done the audiences throats that the dream world is capable of being addictive for those who experience it. If you were perplexed by that, then you weren't even watching the movie.
 
i like that part where that one guy said dream a little bigger darling in the trailer and the horn played.

yup that shit was pwnage, wish it was like that in the actual movie.
 
Yah, this is the real problem.

Also, I wish the movie had done more with the dreaming aspect. Like, the great thing about dreams is that they can be anything. That's the time for imagination, when you can dream up Salvador Dali-esque worlds and shit, but aside from that scene where they walk up a wall, there's nothing dreamlike about Inception. That's a missed opportunity on Nolan's part.

I would have loved to see a Wachowski directed Inception. They're so much more creative visually than Nolan.
 
This movie is a prime example of too much telling, not enough showing. The Matrix handled the exposition of its "rules" so much better. The exposition in Inception is so infuriating I can't watch it anymore. Whenever you have a character whose sole purpose is to ask questions for the audience, you know your script fucking sucks. The only redeeming quality is Hans Zimmer's score, which I think is the best work he's ever done.
Known as an Audience Surrogate on TvTropes. Other examples include Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, Arther Dent in HHGtG, the Hobbits in LotR, and Harry Potter in...Harry Potter. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a mark of bad writing. It's one of the better ways to get people to learn about your universe, as they can easily relate to the character in the movie that is learning. Provided, of course, that the characters actually learn about the universe and do something important, as Ariadne does.
 
I love this movie.... but it's not something you can watch again and again. You enjoy it less as you repeatedly watch it.
 
The only blockbuster thing about the movie is the budget. The movie is not a conventional blockbuster in any sense of the word.

All blockbuster means is that it's expected to make a hell of a lot of money. I think it was totally a conventional blockbuster. It was marketed as such, hyped up as such, was received as such, and made money as such. The word simply has a bad ring to it since most movies that make a lot of money aren't all that great or interesting.

a motion picture, novel, etc., especially one lavishly produced, that has or is expected to have wide popular appeal or financial success.
 
As a "puzzle", it's rather meticulously put together, I suppose. The pieces fit into place as Nolan intended.

As a "big-budget" action-y film, it's pretty poor. The action is just all over the place and there is seriously zero reason to care about anyone in the movie. Which is fine for some films, but, in my opinion, it did not work in Inception. at all.

As a film, it's stiff and the plot/puzzle itself functions in a really clunky manner.

So, I'm definitely not a fan. Not to mention, everyone always debates about the shit that doesn't matter (OH MY GOD DOES THE TOP FALL OR NOT - SINCE IT'S OPEN ENDED IT MUST BE A SMART MOVIE). Jesus christ, you'd have a better chance finding out whether or not hamlet's actually insane(!!!!?!?!?) and it would have just as much significance. That's not the point.
 
It's a pretty nifty heist movie that has been overblown by people who are proud that they understood the needlessly convoluted plot. They're under the assumption that a complex narrative is the same as an intelligent one.

I like the movie. It's a decent watch that gets bogged down by becoming so concerned with explaining the possibilities of the universe created, that the plot is left as an afterthought.
Well said. This became incredibly glaring when I watched it a second time. The exposition kills the movie.
 
Blockbuster = movies that cause lines that go around the block.

No?

block·bust·er (blkbstr)
n.
1. Something, such as a film or book, that sustains widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales.

Inception is very much that.
 
It's a good nolan film, but I find his debut (Following) to be his best.

I think you might be the only person that would say that. I think Following is a fine film (also where the heck is my blu-ray release of it?!), but I wouldn't call it his best.
 
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